Good news emerges from Indonesia's tourism sector as foreign tourist arrivals surged dramatically throughout 2023, according to data presented by Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Menparekraf/Baparekraf) Sandiaga Uno. During "The Weekly Brief With Sandi Uno" on Monday (5/2/2024), Sandiaga stated that the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released December 2023 foreign tourist arrival data, completing the full-year 2023 tourist visit data. In December 2023 alone, foreign tourist arrivals reached 1.14 million, marking a significant increase of over 20% compared to December 2022. Consequently, the total foreign tourist arrivals from January to December 2023 reached 11.68 million, a 98.3% increase from 2022, surpassing the target of 8.5 million for 2023.
For origin countries, Malaysia led as the largest contributor to Indonesia's foreign tourist arrivals in 2023 with a share of 16.28%, followed by Australia (12.26%), Singapore (12.11%), China (6.75%), and Timor Leste (6.24%). Regarding the average length of stay, foreign tourists stayed for 7 to 12 nights, with the highest average stay in April reaching 12.4 nights. Notably, tourists from Russia and China experienced increased lengths of stay in April, with 52.14 nights and 43.88 nights, respectively. Furthermore, hotel occupancy rates in December 2023 reached nearly 60%, precisely 59.74%, with non-star hotels at 28.67%. Plans are underway to enhance accommodation capacities to accommodate the increasing number of tourists. Sandiaga expressed plans to visit several countries to bolster industry promotion efforts, aiming to further increase foreign tourist arrivals in 2024. This proactive approach reflects Indonesia's commitment to sustaining and expanding its tourism sector amidst global challenges.
